


Six Months

by firetan



Category: Nurarihyon no Mago | Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
Genre: Copious Use of Pick-Up Lines, Friends to Lovers, Itaku Does Not Like Feelings, M/M, Training Montage, and not much of it, and some talk of sexual stuff but just frank discussion, but they don't do anything sexual, it's literally just a few kisses, plus some hot springs, sort of, technically an underage relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 10:36:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8747233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firetan/pseuds/firetan
Summary: Just a what-if of what could have happened in those six months of training after Kyōto. Since we all know that Rikuo likes messing with people, just a bit, and Itaku really isn't much of a people yōkai. Not all that into feelings, either.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [It Just Happened](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/245170) by Hydra no Mago. 



**_「手を伸ばす覚悟が無いなら / これ以上何も掴めない」_  
(The Love Song - LM.C)**

**\---------------------------------**

After the battle for Kyōto, the Nura Clan returned to a time of peace that lasted for six months. The yōkai involved rested and recovered, letting themselves heal from battle wounds and bad memories until the scars of the fight began to fade away. They enjoyed a time of normalcy, minor encounters and small disputes and arguments and celebrations.

For the Third Head, however, the appearance of peace was just a shell. As all of the commanders and aides of the Nura Group knew, so he too knew that the lull was nothing but transient, a small calm before the waves of war once again broke over them. In the day, he returned to school, laughing with his human friends and trying to keep them out of more trouble than they could handle, appreciating the remaining days he could spend in the human world before the darkness called for the Lord of Pandemonium once again.

On the weekend, however… 

"Hey, Gramps! I'm going to Tōno, see you on Monday!"

Nurarihyon watched his grandson leap off into the night. It had barely been two weeks since they had returned, and yet come Friday Rikuo was already leaving again to continue his training. In a way, the First Head mused, he was proud of the boy. That pride simply happened to come along with a wry hope that his grandson's foolishness didn't get the better of him.

**\----------------------------  
The First Month  
\----------------------------**

"Just because you won a lot of battles in Kyōto, that doesn't mean you're even close to reaching the level of Tōno. Your training will continue the same as it has been."

"Right. I get that." Leaning to one side and scratching the back of his neck idly, Rikuo made a face at his instructor. "I don't get the thing about coating my weapon in my fear. I thought you could only use fear on yourself, or on an enemy? Since that's how Kyōka Suigetsu works…"

Itaku sighed irritably. "Did you learn nothing from your training with Gyūki? What exactly do you think your Izutsu Matoi technique does, Rikuo?"

"I mean…" Now that he thought about it, Izutsu did technically involve infusing his weapon with Fear… "But with that, I'm using someone else's Fear to do it, so I'm not actually moving mine around. It's more like my body isn't quite enough to contain all of their Fear, so it extends down the blade too-- kind of like an overflow."

The Kamaitachi raised a single eyebrow. "Then you need to figure out how to create that overflow on your own. Let's go."

"Wha-- Dammit! You always wait till I'm not ready! Oi, Itaku!"

**\-------------------**

"You know, it's probably better for you to come over here."

Itaku narrowed his eyes at his companion, who just shrugged. They had finished a sparring session, and were sitting together in the bottom of the bowl-like crater that one of their clashes had added to the floor of the main house basement. "And why is that?"

"Hm." Rikuo, sitting cross-legged with a sword (sheathed) propped up against his knee, closed one eye as he thought. "Well, I can only travel over on weekends, and only at night, so it's harder for me to get to Tōno than it is for you to get here. Plus, I already spent a lot of time training in Tōno. It's only fair to switch it up, isn't it?"

He received a glare. "You just don't want to make the trip to Tōno."

"So what if I don't?" The Third rolled his eyes. "It's not exactly an unfair point. I have all of my daytime stuff to take care of too, as well as any disputes and issues within the Nura Clan, so I don't exactly have boatloads of time to spare in the first place."

Frowning, Itaku considered the proposal. Despite his reservations about the idea, he had to admit that Rikuo had decent reasons that weren't just laziness. Because Tōno was structured very differently than the Nura Clan, he hadn't thought about the political mantle that his student had taken up along with the militaristic one. And of course, Rikuo's human life… he still wasn't quite sure what to think of that. He didn't understand the point of it, really - why continue holding onto such a thing? But grudgingly, he remembered that it was Rikuo's human side that allowed him to use the formidable Matoi ability, and that it was probably healthy for the younger to accept and participate in that part of his identity just as much as his yōkai side.

"Fine." He crossed his arms, closing his eyes to block out the irritatingly pleased expression on his student's face. "I will continue traveling here from Tōno to further your training. This _means_ ," Cracking one eye open, he fixed Rikuo with a stern gaze, "That you will need to take these lessons seriously, Rikuo. I do not want to waste my time here."

Curse him, that brat _laughed_! Laughed in response! "Got it, Itaku!"

"Tch. Whatever."

**\-------------------**

Swallowing carefully, painfully aware of the blade pressed against his throat and the presence of a solid wall behind him, Rikuo eyed his mentor playfully. "You know, we've got to stop meeting like this." When Itaku simply gave him a blank, narrow-eyed look, the young Nura Head sighed dramatically. "Ah, I guess that sort of joke is over your head, then. Too human, probably."

"Joke?"

Rikuo laughed, rubbing his throat as Itaku stepped back and re-sheathed his sickle smoothly. "It's from a western movie. Sort of a pick-up line - a flirtation, you know?" He glanced at Itaku with one eyebrow raised. "You do know what flirting is, right?"

"…" The Kamaitachi was silent for a few moments. "I know of the concept, but see no point in the action."

That seemed to surprise the young Head, who blinked a few times before grinning. "Well, some people take it very seriously, but to me… well, I suppose it just seems rather fun. Especially when it gets a reaction from people who usually have that sort of stony face, like you."

Itaku didn't respond at first, but eventually, "So what was the meaning of this one, then?"

"Oh, that one?" Rikuo grinned, thinking. "Not actually sure where it originally started, but it's inferring that the two people keep meeting in somewhat sexually suggestive situations. That, or its two people who share some sort of attraction or sexual tension that keep running into each other in similar ways." He rolled his shoulders, groaning quietly when one of them gave a satisfying pop, and added, "So for us, it would be how we keep ending up pinned down with each other's blades at our throats."

"I see." His mentor made a face. "So it's intended to be somewhat sarcastic?"

The only response to that was a shrug, followed by, "Maybe, maybe not."

"Tch. Well, I can assure you that we will keep meeting like that. Don't drop your Fear - we're not done for today, Rikuo."

"Got it, Itaku. Let's go!"

**\-------------------**

"So you'll come to Tōno for the hot spring?"

Rikuo cracked an eye open to see Itaku sinking gracefully into the water, hair damp and falling in his face instead of held out of the way by his ever-present bandana. "Well, there's room to train at the main house, but Tōno's the only place with a good hot spring. I figure it would make the trip worth my time - just once a month, maybe."

Raising an eyebrow, the Kamaitachi crossed his arms and leaned back against the side of the spring beside his student. "I will allow it if you take time to train while here as well."

"Of course." Rikuo smirked at that, smoothing his hair out of his face with damp fingers so his forehead could catch some of the fresh air. "So, fancy seeing you here."

"I live here."

"…"

"Was that another one of those maybe, maybe-not sarcastic 'flirtations' of yours?"

Rikuo shrugged and leaned back. "Wasn't my best, but it's tough to find lines for this sort of situation that don't verge straight into explicitly sexual come-ons, and even though I look older, I'm technically still thirteen. That sort of stuff I really shouldn't be saying for about four more years."

"Thirteen?" Tilting his head to the side, Itaku considered the quarter-yōkai beside him. "Do you mean your physical age?"

"No, I mean my mother gave birth to me approximately thirteen years ago."

That gave Itaku some pause. Being an adult yōkai, the age of thirteen seemed to him the barest of distant memories, a nearly-vanished relic of the time before he became the being he was today. Remembering that Rikuo was, for all intents and purposes, still a child - well, he was loathe to admit it, but it did come as something of a surprise. The Nura Head gave off a distinct aura of maturity and command, the sort of energy one simply didn't possess as a child of his age.

"Oi." Something bumped gently against the side of his head, and he turned to see Rikuo holding one fist in the air, as though ready to hit him again. "Don't go over thinking it. I just said 'technically' - in my mind, I'm not really thirteen anymore. Since yōkai mature faster than humans, my mind - at least in this form - is already an adult. And even in the daytime… well," He laughed a little wryly, "When you're carrying this much weight, you grow up quickly whether you mean to or not."

"… I see."

**\----------------------------  
The Second Month  
\----------------------------**

"You're still only equipping your fear with your body." The sickle against Rikuo's neck pressed closer, maintaining just enough controlled distance to keep from breaking his skin. Even without the blade touching him, he could feel the pressure of Itaku's fear pulsating around the blade and making it just a bit harder to breathe. "You'll never become stronger like that, Rikuo." In spite of the situation, he leaned his head back and grinned up at his mentor.

"Didn't I say we've got to stop meeting like this?"

Itaku rolled his eyes. "I still don't understand your affection for those sorts of things."

"Ahh, well." His student shrugged lazily even as his body slide out of perception and he reappeared behind Itaku, reversing their positions with a loose grin and a sword held deceptively casually against his teacher's throat. "I'll get to you some way or another. I suppose I'll just have to be patient."

"Get to me?"

Rikuo grinned, craning his neck forward to lean over Itaku's shoulder and glance sideways at him. "Your goal is to teach me. I've decided, aside from getting stronger, that mine is to make you laugh. That stone-cold face of yours could use a change of pace." He winked once before shimmering out of perception again as Itaku turned and executed a double-handed horizontal strike to the place where he had stood moments before, sickles reflecting the dim light of the basement training ground.

"You'd improve faster if you put as much thought into your training as you did into this unnecessary goal of yours, Rikuo."

The Kamaitachi's straightforward admonishment was rewarded when Rikuo's grin shifted eerily from lazy to predatory, and he leapt forward from where he'd reappeared with a flash of silver. Itaku ducked and rolled smoothly under the airborne attack, propelling himself upwards with both hands to strike his student in the back with a flying kick that sent the younger slamming against a wall. Standing, however, Itaku noticed something warm against his cheek, and brushed against it with his thumb to see a few droplets of red staining the tanned skin.

From his place against the wall, Rikuo coughed a few times before laughing. "How was that, then?"

"Tch." Rubbing at the small cut that had been scored diagonally along his cheekbone, Itaku readied his weapons once again. "Let's see if you can do it again."

**\-------------------**

"You're strange, you know that?"

Rikuo raised an eyebrow at his mentor, electing to take a sip of sake instead of answering immediately. The two of them were seated on the edge of the back porch of the Nura main house, relaxing after a training session and observing the activity of the night sky. After he swallowed and thought for a few moments, he responded with, "Is that so?"

"Of course it is." One leg bend and the other left hanging, Itaku rested an elbow on his knee and glanced sideways at his student-of-a-sort. "Even training with you, I can't make sense of what sort of person you are. Is this another part of the Fear of Nurarihyon?"

A pause. "No, I don't think so." Leaning back with one hand propping him up, Rikuo exhaled softly and closed one eye against the starlight, looking over at Itaku in his peripheral vision. "Do you really find me that strange, Itaku?"

"Anyone whose goal is something as absurd as wanting to make me laugh is strange, no matter how I think about it."

The Nura Head chuckled, returning his gaze to the sky and taking another sip of sake. "Well, I suppose you won't be surprised to know that I'd find you equally strange in that regard. Everyone's ability to continue laughing is one of the things I fight for, you know."

Itaku made a face. "Really?"

"Yes." Rikuo sighed and closed his eyes entirely, opening them and gazing off at an indeterminate place in the distance. "For yōkai and humans alike. The ability to smile and be happy, people's ability to laugh until they cry… warm things like that that make existence worthwhile for everyone, even yōkai like you. That's something I want to protect. The strength of the Night and my Hyakki Yakkō aren't the only things I value."

"…" The Kamaitachi looked away, resting his chin against his knee and staring at the ground. After a few moments, his lips twitched into a small smile.

"You really are strange, Rikuo. And yet, I suppose that isn't a bad thing."

**\-------------------**

"Should we intervene?"

Standing outside of the door to the basement dojo, Tsurara peered anxiously inside before glancing up at the two men beside her. Shōei just shrugged, tapping the floor with one foot as he waited (in a manner that he hoped seemed patient) for the space to be available, while Zen shook his head and crossed his arms. "Nah, they're fine. Tōno bastard's even waiting until he's in his night form - not like Gyūki and that Kyōto Tengu _asshole_. Rikuo said they're working on some new technique again - like what he did with Matoi, but just using his Fear."

Tsurara blinked a few times, peering back into the room in confusion. "So-- putting it in his sword?"

"Exactly."

She winced as a particularly violent blow threw both of the sparring yōkai against opposite walls, though not enough to damage the wood (which was already looking pretty beaten up). "And that'll be useful to Master Rikuo, then?"

This time, it was Shōei who answered. "Until now, he's used his Fear defensively. Learning an ability like this will allow him to improve his offensive abilities as well, so he won't have to rely on Izutsu Matoi alone for powerful attacks."

"Ah."

**\-------------------**

Sighing happily, Rikuo allowed himself to sink into the warm water beside his companion, appreciating the smells and sounds of Tōno around him. Today's training session had been a return to the basics of what he'd first learned in the village, which ended up involving a lot of him running and getting hit with things. The rest of the Tōno yōkai, as excited as always to see him, had participated more than enthusiastically, but as always Itaku had remained in the lead.

Much to his satisfaction, he'd improved enough that the older yōkai beside him was also bearing a good number of scuffs and marks from the day's efforts. An idea crossing his mind, he leaned over and grinned at his mentor. "Say, Itaku, did it hurt?"

"When you threw a tree branch at my head?"

"No, when you fell from heaven!"

Itaku turned and shot him a one-eyed glare. "Tch, that wasn't even sensible. The idea of 'heaven' is simply a flawed concept, and angels are nothing but a fiction." Despite his words, there was a slight flush blooming across his cheekbones, though to Rikuo's disappointment it was unclear whether it was from the admittedly horrible pick-up line or the heat of the spring.

The guilty party shrugged. "Well, if anyone I've met would fit the concept of an angel, I think you'd come pretty close, Itaku."

"Eh?"

"A violent one, though." Rikuo mused, grin widening to an almost Cheshire-like state at the look of total disgust that fell over his mentor's face. "A short one, too. A short, angry angel." Instinctively, he found himself laughing at the description. "I suppose that doesn't sound very angelic, does it?"

Itaku rolled his eyes and sank a little lower into the water. "Of course it doesn't. Yōkai aren't angels."

That just drew another laugh from his student, who leaned over and smiled at him. "Good thing, too. You wouldn't be nearly as amazing if you were an angel."

"Tch. Idiot."

**\----------------------------  
The Third Month  
\----------------------------**

"Are they still going at it?"

Kejōrō nodded, leaning against the side of the doorframe as she watched the two figures sparring in the open basements (that was quickly beginning to look like an actual war zone). "They'll probably stop soon - Young Master doesn't usually like to stay up past two, and they make sure to stop an hour before then at least to cool down and eat."

"Huh." Walking silently over to stand next to her, Kubinashi glanced inside as well and raised an eyebrow. "He's learning pretty fast, it seems."

She nodded. "Yes. Now that the danger isn't quite so imminent, he's had the time to put his brain to use as well as his body. It seems to be helping a great deal."

Floating his head into the room a bit in order to listen to the apparent banter that was being exchanged between the teacher and the student, a somewhat bemused look crossed Kubinashi's face and he withdrew quickly. Turning to Kejōrō, he asked, "Are they-- _flirting_?"

"Just the Young Master, I believe." Her smile turned mischievous. "Although I'm not sure how serious he is about it. I think he wants to get a reaction more than anything - playful as always."

A mildly exasperated sigh escaped the neckless yōkai as he turned back to watch. "I suppose you're right. Still… this is the first time he's gone that route."

"Well, to be fair, he is thirteen now." Kejōrō shrugged. "Perhaps he feels he's outgrown the sorts of pranks he used to pull when he was younger."

Kubinashi pursed his lips, catching the sound of the young Head's laughter from the open doorway. "I had been under the impression that he'd felt he outgrew pranks entirely years ago." Catching his friend's eye, he shook his head and tried to relax a bit. "Sorry, Kino. I'm probably reading far too much into this. I just hope he knows what he's doing. After all, his father--"

"Could capture people with just his smile, I know." She smirked. "It worked on you, now didn't it?"

"Hm." Blue eyes flickered back to the open basement training room as the pair began to walk away. "Yes, I suppose it did."

A quiet laugh at his side indicated Kejōrō's amusement at the situation. "On my part, I hope the Kamaitachi knows what he's in for with our Young Master."

That brought a smile to Kubinashi's face.

"Oh, I'm _sure_ he doesn't."

**\-------------------**

"Are they gone?"

Rikuo nodded, his grin turning feral. "Don't know why they thought we wouldn't notice."

"Tch." Rolling his shoulders, Itaku prepared for another round with narrowed eyes. " _Nosy_. And for the record, today's attempt was the worst yet. I'm beginning to think these lines of yours are designed not to appeal, but to ward others away with their sheer absurdity"

The Third Head laughed. "See, Itaku, you're starting to get it!"

"Ridiculous."

**\-------------------**

"Ow…"

Rikuo groaned loudly, peeling himself away from the wall and cracking his neck. "Damn, Itaku, that hurt! Was literally throwing me into the wall really _necessary_? It's not going to make me figure out how to do this any faster, you know." A thought seemed to occur to him, and he smirked at his stone-faced mentor. "Unless you're into this sort of thing, of course."

The Kamaitachi didn't respond for a few moments, and Rikuo began to wonder if he'd touched a nerve with that one. It was admittedly risky territory, play-flirting with his mentor like this - never quite knowing if there'd be one line that would drive Itaku over the edge. To what? Rikuo wasn't sure, exactly, but knowing Itaku it probably wouldn't be good. Regardless, the Kamaitachi had fallen silent for long enough that he was starting to be concerned.

"Itaku?" He'd only taken few paces towards his mentor when silver flashed and Itaku's sickles cut through the air where his afterimage had been. From where he had actually been to the right of the older yōkai, Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Rikuo." Itaku's tone was serious, and the Nura Head reluctantly turned to face his mentor. "You should not have enough Fear in your body to use Kyōka Suigetsu when employing this technique."

The younger of the two sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I know. It's just like-- my Fear is a part of me, right? So I'm still trying to figure out how to separate it from my body like that without losing control of it, but so far it just isn't working."

Raising an eyebrow, Itaku frowned. "You're not supposed to separate it."

"What? Wait, Itaku, wha-- hey, are you just trying to beat the answer out of me or something? Oi, Itaku, what th--!"

**\-------------------**

" _Sheesh_ , it's like you're getting more aggressive every time we meet." Rikuo nearly moaned at the relief that sliding into the hot spring brought, allowing his shoulders to relax and leaning his head sideways against the rocks behind him, looking over at his mentor. The two had fallen into a routine of sorts - near the end of each month since they'd begun training like this, they would meet in Tōno and have an all-out spar before retreating to the hot spring to sooth sore muscles and occasionally discuss the progress made in that time.

Itaku raised an eyebrow at him, expression almost amused. "And yet you're able to keep up. It is generally assumed that a teacher will increase the difficulty of the subject when the student is improving, Rikuo."

"Huh, is that so." The younger rolled his shoulders and winced, exhaling deeply and sinking a little lower into the water. "But I haven't even figured out how to get my Fear into the weapon. It doesn't really feel like I've been getting any better."

The Kamaitachi sighed quietly and closed his eyes, crossing his arms below the water. "Despite your difficulty mastering your new technique, your agility and swordplay have improved noticeably since we began training." Opening one eye to look over at Rikuo thoughtfully, he added, "Don't misunderstand. You still have a long way to go."

His student just chuckled. "I'd expect nothing less with you as my teacher." A brief lull of silence fell over them, broken only by the sound of birdcalls and Awashima yelling somewhere in the distance, before he spoke up again. "Why did you decide to continue teaching me, Itaku?"

It was a few moments before he received a response. "You required training, and those in the Nura Group were not properly doing so. You had already proven yourself able to be trained, and I did not see any others taking on the role."

"So it was just because there was no-one else doing it?"

"… I suppose."

**\----------------------------  
The Fourth Month  
\----------------------------**

A loud boom echoed through the Nura main house's basement, followed by the noise of wood splintering and cracking painfully. Coughing loudly, one of the two sparring figures staggered away from the wall he had just been thrown none-to-gently into, only a split second passing before he pulled the sheath of his katana from his obi in order to block the double-bladed strike that fell onto him from above and forced him against the floor.

The sheath splintered, and Rikuo swore under his breath as his mentor leapt off and observed him with deep, considering eyes. " _Shit_. Gramps is going to kill me, wrecking another one of these."

"Why did you use it, then?"

Shrugging, the quarter-yōkai pushed himself to his feet with a wince. "Well, I was trying to channel my Fear all the way through the blade, but when I tried to hit you with it, it just shattered." He waved the now-bare wooden hilt at Itaku, whose eyebrows lifted minutely in surprise as he seemed to ignore the decently-sized slice that had been carved across the outer edge of his shoulder. "Disintegrated, even."

"Ah." Itaku narrowed his eyes at his student, who started practicing a few swings with the bladeless hilt and the cracked scabbard. So Rikuo had begun to figure out how to channel his Fear through his weapon, at last… did he simply have too much? Or was it too little? "Were you using your Fear to reinforce the integrity of the blade as well as the strength?"

Rikuo cocked his head to the side, pausing. "Huh? I've got to do that too? But that'll take even more Fear." He raised both hands to his sides, waving them. "Where am I gonna get even more Fear?"

"From your body." 

He paused, and Itaku took this as a sign to continue elaborating his new theory. "You're still enveloping yourself in your Fear, are you not?" Receiving a nod, he moved on, "Perhaps if you completely switch the focal point of your Fear from your body to your weapon, you will be able to reinforce it better without causing a stronger drain on your abilities."

"You're being unusually helpful today." Rikuo raised an eyebrow at his mentor, expression distinctly amused. "Did I finally woo you with my terrible innuendos?"

The Kamaitachi scoffed. "Tch. Hardly. I simply do not feel the need to attempt to train you in concepts you do not understand. Some have done this in the past, and I am in no place to question the effectiveness of such a style; I simply prefer to keep your training straightforward."

"Sure." The Nura Head laughed. "Definitely not just an excuse to keep talking to m-- woah, woah! Oi, Itaku, I don't even have a weapon, what're you do-- hey, _seriously_!"

**\-------------------**

"How old are you, exactly?"

Itaku blinked once, then twice, and turned to stare at his student with narrowed eyes. Rikuo, busy eating the bowl of rice that Kejōrō had brought out a minute earlier (with a strangely amused expression on her face), didn't seem to notice that he'd said anything unusual. After a few moments, the Kamaitachi responded with a simple, "Why?"

Pausing in his eating, Rikuo tapped the chopsticks against his lips as he thought. "Well, I don't know, so I'm curious."

"Curious." Itaku deadpanned, resisting the urge to smack himself in the face with one hand. Every time he thought he knew what went on in Rikuo's mind, the Nura Head would come up with something unexpected like this. What did it matter how old he was? It wasn't like yōkai aged all that greatly, after all - with the exception of Nurarihyon, who was known to have been cursed by Hagoromo-Gitsune some four hundred years prior. When they did, it was graceful and gradual, but their minds didn't cloud or change all that much past adulthood.

Something poked him in the arm, and he pulled out of his reverie to see Rikuo staring at him, chopsticks poised to nudge him again if he didn't respond somehow. "Tch, you really want to know?"

"Why not? It'll give me a frame of reference for you, at least."

A frame of reference? A surprisingly logical argument. Itaku sighed and leaned back on the heels of his palms, looking upwards at the night sky. "Age… I don't often think of it, now. It is easier to think in centuries than in years. I believe I'm somewhere in my fifth century."

"Ah, so older than Dad and Kubinashi, but younger than Grandpa and Gyūki." Rikuo retracted the chopsticks and returned to eating, pausing to indicate the second bowl and pair of chopsticks sitting between them. "That's for you, you know."

For a moment, Itaku found himself watching his companion, noticing the way his tongue flicked out to catch a grain of rice that had stuck to his lower lip. He shook his head briskly, clearing his head and leaning over to pick up the bowl, determined to leave that strange moment to the back of his mind (where it would ultimately disintegrate, like so many unneeded memories). "Thank you."

"For what? Everyone needs to eat, you know." 

"Tch. Obviously."

**\-------------------**

Well, this was a little awkward.

It wasn't the first time either of them had pinned the other, to a wall or the floor or simply with a blade to the neck and a weapon immobilized. After all, subduing your partner typically signaled the end of a spar or duel, so it tended to be one of the desired outcomes. The odds had been slowly evening out between the two, even though Rikuo tended to end up using his scabbard since he couldn't focus his Fear enough to keep the blade from dissolving after use, so both had been on either end of the hold.

This was, however, the first time both of them had been unarmed and using martial hand-to-hand combat only. Rikuo had been the one to suggest it, at the beginning of the session, proposing that since he kept finding himself with no sword it would be wise to brush up on hand-to-hand so that he wouldn't be defenseless once his weapon broke. With surprisingly little comment, Itaku had agreed, and the two had entered a spar that, while it wasn't quite as destructive to the room as most, was just as powerful and dynamic.

It had ended where they were now, with Rikuo flat on his back on the floor and Itaku braced above him with one fist bare millimeters from his student's nose. The other held Rikuo's hands pinned above his head, and one of Itaku's knees was digging none-too-gently into his gut, while the other was planted firmly on the floor beside him. Both were breathing a little heavily from the strictly physical energy the spar had taken, and Rikuo was a bit red in the face.

It was, all in all, rather strange (and a little oddly exciting, if he were going to be completely honest). Rikuo wasn't quite sure how to feel about it all, especially considering that the first in front of his face did a pretty good job of ruining what might otherwise be a rather suggestive position. Nonetheless, woe betide him to not take advantage of an opportunity like this. He still hadn't gotten Itaku to laugh (or blush, for that matter, although that type of reaction seemed nigh impossible), after all.

Staring up to meet Itaku's hard amber eyes, Rikuo allowed a smirk to creep across his face. "Well, you have me now. Enjoying the view, Itaku?" 

The Kamaitachi's eyes quickly darted around, taking in their position and then the satisfied smirk on his student's face, and he pulled away and stood in a fluid motion, turning away from Rikuo and crossing his arms. He would not let this game get to him, he would not let this game get to him, he would not-- Hidden from view, a bright red slowly flowed over his cheekbones, and he covered his face in one hand and tried to calm his breathing. 

He was loathe to admit it, but the game had started getting to him. Not the words and lines - they were cringeworthy at best - but Rikuo himself. The way his eyes lit and glowed with an inner fire, the tone of his voice, the way he would smile and smirk and move-- yes, much to Itaku's dismay, it was indeed starting to get to him.

Breathing stable enough that he was sure no strangeness would be detectable in his voice, he spoke over his shoulder to Rikuo, who had taken the time to stand up and straighten his yukata. "Your martial combat is good enough to defend yourself long enough to acquire another weapon. We are done for tonight."

Hopefully, he would be able to put this out of his mind as well.

\-------------------

Putting it out of his mind hadn't worked. _At all._

"Hey, Itaku, something wrong?"

The Kamaitachi stared resolutely at the water, electing to ignore the younger quarter-yōkai resting languidly beside him. In the week or so since that completely unnecessary hand-to-hand training session, he'd been just barely unable to push away the memory of Rikuo's smirk (and the way they'd fallen together, but that thought was particularly off-limits). When Rikuo had come to Tōno this time, he'd even resorted to asking the other Tōno yōkai to take over his training for a day, citing the (fairly sensible) claim that it wouldn't do for Rikuo to fall into a habit of fighting a particular type of opponent only. In honesty, however, he hadn't been willing to risk another such occurrence.

Though it might surprise many of those who knew him, Itaku wasn't oblivious to the concepts of attraction and lust (though true love and affection were a bit unclear to him). Over the five centuries of his life, he'd seen them expressed in a number of his acquaintances (and a few friends), and occasionally they were directed at him. Itaku himself, however, had never experienced anything of the sort.

Until, apparently, now.

Something prodded his shoulder, and despite himself he had to keep himself from starting at the touch. Opening one eye (and when had he closed them?), he glanced over to see Rikuo with one hand raised, apparently ready to nudge him again if he didn't respond. "… What?"

"Seriously," The Nura Head raised one eyebrow and carefully retracted his hand, "I'm starting to get worried about you, Itaku. You keep spacing out on me. It's weird." He craned his head forward, trying to meet his mentor's eyes. "And you're avoiding me too. Are the pick up lines really bothering you that much? I can stop--"

"It's fine." Itaku forced himself to meet his student's gaze, holding it for a few moments before looking away again. "Tch. As long as they don't distract from your training, they don't matter."

Whether they distracted him was entirely inconsequential.

**\----------------------------  
The Fifth Month  
\----------------------------**

"Oi, oi!" Fending off blow after blow, Rikuo leapt backwards across the basement and shot his mentor an incredulous look, "You're getting even more aggressive! Are you actually trying to kill me or something, Itaku?"

On the far side of the room, Itaku simply caught his airborne sickles and jumped forward to twirl in midair and slash with one after the other at his student. "You will not improve if I remain lenient. If higher aggression is what it takes, then that is what I will attack you with."

"Yeah, yeah, alright. Let's go, then!"

**\-------------------**

"Woah!"

It had just been an average training session. Throwing each other into walls, exchanging taunts and curt responses and the occasional terrible pick-up line (courtesy of Rikuo, who was trying to keep his current sword from disintegrating before he even landed a blow) - nothing seemed out of the ordinary. And yet today was, in fact, about to become extraordinary.

Itaku had noticed it first, when his student flung himself forward with the sword carried low at his side swinging upwards for a strike. As Rikuo had shouted a kiai, the Kamaitachi had felt the pressure of the air trailing off of the sword's blade increase tenfold, and barely managed to jump back in time to avoid being hit by what felt like a weapon time times the size and strength of the one actually being wielded. 

As it was, the blow hit the wall behind him with explosive force, and a good quarter of the room was soon enveloped in dust and debris. Ruefully, Itaku wondered how the Nura clan was planning to repair the basement (if they ever did - he certainly hadn't seen any indication that it was being fixed after their fights).

As the dust cleared, Rikuo continued speaking. "Hey, Itaku, get a look at this!" 

Looking up once his student's silhouette became discernible, Itaku stared as the young Head came into view. And continued staring, because this wasn't Rikuo, right? Instead of a spitting image of his grandfather (when the First Head was in his prime, of course), this version of Rikuo was as though someone had taken his yōkai form and turned it-- well, rather human, but not at all like his human form. He was shorter than his usual 'night' form, and his features appeared ever so slightly younger - more in the range of sixteen or so than the near-adulthood look he usually had as a yōkai. 

His hair was different too - whereas it usually flowed straight from the back of his head, mimicking the shape of his grandfather's skull (though, as they'd seen multiple times, Rikuo's head itself remained round even in yōkai form), now it fell downwards in a more ordinary manner, long enough to reach his waist at least and a sort of chaotic, wild mess. Dark markings had appeared under his eyes (which had remained the same color as before - a vivid red), mimicking those Itaku knew his grandfather had possessed in his youth.

This strange, new Rikuo smirked and leaned his sword against his shoulder, the other hand resting on his hip as he met his mentor's eyes. "I think I figured it out, Itaku."

After a few moments of stoically trying to remember how to speak (and possibly _breathe_ ), Itaku took a few moments to examine the change critically (instead of… well, however he'd been looking at it before) and allowed himself a small smile of what he hoped looked like pride. "Congratulations, Rikuo. Your Offensive Hyōi appears to be complete. We will begin training you to maintain it."

The predatory expression that fell over Rikuo's familiar-yet-unfamiliar features shouldn't have been allowed. "Let's go, then."

**\-------------------**

"Are you going to remain like that until dawn?"

Merely smirking in response to Itaku's somewhat irritated question, Rikuo slid into the heated water with a relieved sigh, pulling his hair off of his shoulders and letting it soak behind him. It was a rather pleasant sensation, really - perhaps he should begin growing it out in his human form. And, of course, Itaku's consistently notable reactions to it were incredibly enjoyable.

For instance, right now, the Kamaitachi had taken one look at him, turned around, and begun muttering something to himself that sounded suspiciously like a counting rhythm or mantra of some sort.

He wouldn't say it out loud, but Rikuo was starting to become somewhat concerned by the reactions. It was very funny the first two times, but he'd been sparring in his Offensive form for over a week now, and the fact that Itaku kept acting like there was something wrong with it… well, in his mind, he could admit that it made him a little uncomfortable. His mentor had seemed supportive at first, but now… Rikuo was beginning to think maybe he'd gotten the form wrong somehow, and Itaku was just trying to be nice by not telling him about it.

The silence was a little uncomfortable, so he decided to answer Itaku's question after all. "I mean, we are training to try to maintain it, so I figured trying to stay like this as long as I can, even when resting, is good practice. I've got the sword with me, though," He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at a sheathed katana that was propped against a nearby rock, "So I'm not stretching out my Fear or anything."

"Good." Itaku, for his part, was starting to think that there was bit more to this attraction thing than he had at first thought. This strange way his heart kept speeding up recently when he and Rikuo would train - especially with that new form - was spelling nothing good for him. Perhaps he really was -- though it pained him to admit it -- attracted to the young Nura Head in more than just a physical sense.

Pushing aside the thoughts of his own attraction, Itaku could unashamedly say (to himself) that there was plenty about Rikuo to find appealing. The young quarter-yōkai was powerful, intelligent, witty, and determined. He was both a vicious fighter when driven to it and a caring person who showed concern and a protective drive for everyone he met, whether they be human or yōkai or some combination of the two. And that was without mentioning his physical appeal - especially, much to Itaku's dismay, in this new form of his.

Were it anyone else with these sorts of feelings, Itaku would completely understand why they were occurring, though he would likely warn them against acting on such things because it would be a rather foolhardy course of action. Because it was himself, however, he was starting to realize that such advice was much easier to give than to follow.

He looked up just in time to watch Rikuo push long strands out of his face with one hand, leaving a trail of water droplets to run down his cheek. Turning away before the light flush creeping rapidly across his cheeks could become visible, Itaku forced himself to breath a few times. "Tch. I'm getting out. Stuff to do. Good night."

"Eh? Aah, alright, goodnight to you too, Itaku."

**\----------------------------  
The Sixth Month  
\----------------------------**

"Hey, Mom?"

Wakana half-turned from where she was kneeling in the garden, tending to a small patch of yellow roses, to look at her son. Although she loved Rikuo dearly, and was infinitely proud of how much he'd grown and how much responsibility he'd taken on, a small part of her mind still occasionally worried that the deeper he delved into the yōkai world, the less time he would have left for his human mother.

Seeing him standing by the side of the porch with his round glasses perched on his nose, scuffing one foot against the ground nervously while waiting for her response, was something of a reassurance that even as he became a powerful yōkai commander, he would still need her. "Yes, Rikuo? What is it?"

"How, er…" He glanced to the side, as though embarrassed. "How did you know you were in love with Dad? Like, how did you, er--"

Ah. Well, she had expected a question like this one day (the Nura Clan was good at many things, but human emotions were not one of them), so it didn't take long to decide how to answer. "I suppose it was when I realized that touching him felt safe, and his smile became something precious."

Her son nodded, one hand sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "And, er-- well, if-- not anyone in particular, but if someone were attracted to a person who didn't really smile all that often and spent a lot of time fighting them, how would-- er, I mean--"

"How would they know?" Wakana paused a moment to think. This sounded an awful lot like Rikuo's teacher from the yōkai-only village, Tōno. She wasn't surprised at this either - after all, Kubinashi and Kejōrō had been providing many eavesdropped stories and theories on the matter. "Well, when you think about him, do you feel warm? It doesn't have to be a peaceful warmth, or a passionate warmth - it just _is_."

Rikuo nodded again, head bobbing up and down rapidly. "Right. Got it. Thanks a lo-- h-huh?" His sentence broke off as he realized exactly what his mother had asked. "Woah, wait, 'he'? I never said I-- I-I mean, this hypothetical someone-- that I--they, er--"

Allowing herself a quiet laugh at the red flush quickly flowing over her son's cheeks, Wakana stood and crossed the yard to sit down beside him on the edge of the porch and place one hand on his shoulder. "Rikuo, it's okay. I'm not going to be angry with you. Nobody can help who they love."

"…" He leaned into the touch, sighing quietly. "Thanks, Mom."

**\-------------------**

"Seriously, what's gotten into him??"

Gesticulating wildly with both arms, Awashima gestured towards Tōno's resident tsundere, who was currently seated on a rock with both arms propped up on one knee and his chin resting between them as he stared off into the distance. He'd just returned from yet another training session down at the Nura main house, and had immediately stalked off into the woods upon returning - presumably to destroy something, as evidenced by the wood slivers still peppering his hair. The rest of the yōkai of Tōno watched him with varying levels of concern and bafflement.

Thankfully, Yukari was present to cheerfully translate his pensive silence. "Oh, he's just trying to distract himself from how attracted he is to Rikuo! It isn't working very well, of course--"

Awashima needed to hear nothing more. Leaping up to where his friend was seated, he pounced on the startled Kamaitachi with an ear-to-ear shit-eating grin. "Awwww, our little Itaku's got a _crush~_!"

"What the-- what do you mean, _little_? I'm older than you! Oi, Awashima, _gerroff_!" Shaking the Amanojaku off with an irritated huff, Itaku leveled a glare at his cadre of companions. "And I do not have a crush. What an absurd way of referring to such things."

Rolling his eyes, Awashima snorted and sat down cross-legged beside him. "Yeah, yeah. Point is, you're into our good mutual friend Rikuo, and you don't want to admit it-- why? Is there something bad with liking him? I mean, I can't think of anything, so seriously."

"He--" Itaku seemed on the edge of denying it all and leaving the conversation entirely, but after a few moments he just sighed and returned to his previous position, chin on arms on knees. "I don't know. Rather than something bad about Rikuo, it's-- these sort of things are pointless and will just be a hindrance in the upcoming battles. Attraction, lust, affection, love-- especially for we of Tōno, such emotional bonds can only become a weakness."

Shooting his friend a glance with eyebrows raised as high as possible, Awashima laughed shortly. "A weakness? Are you serious, have you seen him fighting?" When the Kamaitachi turned to look at his friend incredulously, the taller yōkai continued in a matter-of-fact tone, "Rikuo doesn't keep getting stronger just because he wants to be strong. He's always improving _because_ he has those emotional ties to people - people he wants to make proud, or protect, or fight alongside. It's the same for most of the Nura group, too - even that string assassin you fought, he's strong because of his loyalty to the clan and his totally-obvious thing for the hair lady!"

"Yes, but that's--"

"No buts!" Rounding on his friend, Awashima slapped both hands down onto his thighs as he spoke for emphasis. "You're making up bullshit excuses because you're not comfortable with your own emotions, Itaku. I'm not gonna judge you for that, but don't go trying to pretend there's some other reason."

Itaku glanced up at his friend from the corner of his eye with a scowl. "Fine, then. I don't want to admit that I'm attracted to my student because I am not comfortable with the concept of being attracted to another person, regardless of their age, gender, or general appeal." He grimaced, as though the words tasted bad when he said them, and returned his gaze to the scenery before him. "Are you done meddling now?"

"Hah! Damn, I guess." His companion stood, stretching and chewing a bit on the piece of straw clenched between his teeth. "But you're gonna have to face it sooner or later, Itaku. Can't keep that stuff under wraps forever. Suppressing shit like that is what's really going to become a weakness, you know."

The Kamaitachi just groaned and rested his forehead on his forearms.

**\-------------------**

How did it come to this?

Logically, Itaku knew it would have happened again eventually, but a part of him had hoped that it would wait to happen until he knew how to deal with-- these _feelings_. He had to admit they were there, so it wouldn't do to not name them. He just hadn't wanted to have to confront them so soon.

The sparring session had started off without a hitch, Rikuo shifting with relative ease into his Offensive form and swinging yet another katana (Itaku was starting to wonder where he kept getting them - did the Nura clan have some sort of stockpile? It was ridiculous), which his mentor had blocked and dodged and soon a rather fantastic fight was underway. In a testament to his student's skills, Itaku had started resorting to using specific moves in these training sessions, in order to keep the fights challenging.

It had ended, as so many do, with one holding a blade to the other's neck. Nobody was being pressed against a wall this time (or the ground, for which Itaku was immensely thankful), but that didn't change the fact that he could almost feel Rikuo's body head against his back as the younger rested the katana against his throat and pinned his hands behind his back with one arm.

Their heads were so close that he could feel the puff of warm air as his student spoke next to his ear, voice low and amused. "We really should stop meeting like this, you know."

"Tch." Taking a breath to keep his voice steady, Itaku mustered all of his stony irritation in reply. "And you really should stop with those idiotic lines. They're not going to save your life in a fight, and are quite frankly a waste of time."

Rikuo was silent for a few moments, after which he stepped away and sat down on the floor with his legs crossed, looking thoughtful. "That's fair, I guess. Let's sit down, then - I'm sure Kejōrō's going to be down soon with some rice and drinks. She seems to have this idea that we can't feed ourselves." Itaku snorted at this, but joined his student on the floor.

"How absurd."

"Yeah." Rikuo laughed, and Itaku was suddenly aware of how close they were - practically side-by-side, in the middle of a wide-open room. Perhaps some part of his ( _asshole_ ) subconscious had driven him instinctually towards the person he was attracted to? It was irritating and absurd. 

Itaku was still pondering this when the Nura Head spoke up again, this time with a calm tone. "Sorry if I went too far with the pick-up lines. I thought you were finding them a bit funny, so I figured-- but, well, if you really think they're a waste of time, I'll stop." The Kamaitachi turned to look at his student, who just shrugged. "They were fun, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable or angry with them."

"They weren't-- They weren't _bad_." Itaku paused to find words that wouldn't completely give him away - after all, there was no way he would admit that he had started to enjoy them, if only because of how utterly awful they were. "Just impractical during a fight."

A short break of silence followed those words, during which Itaku mentally reassured himself that he hadn't given anything away with that answer. After a few moments, however, Rikuo - who had looked rather pensive and thoughtful, as though considering a very serious issue - made a face and turned to tug at Itaku's ever-present red bandana. "Hey, I've been wondering - what's this thing made of? It never seems to get torn, even though you wear it all the time."

"Huh?" Somewhat puzzled by the non sequitur, Itaku reached up and pulled the bandana off, allowed his hair to fall into his face as he examined it. "You know, I'm not sure." He opened his mouth again to explain that actually, he had a number of bandanas just like it, and switched them out regularly as they did, in fact, tend to get rather torn up while fighting. Unfortunately, Rikuo beat him to the punch, a shit-eating grin starting to crawl across the younger's cheeks.

"Really? Because to me, it looks like _boyfriend material_."

If there was a god of any sort, anywhere, Itaku was cursing them right now. Unconsciously, his fingers tightened in the cloth of his bandana, crumpling it into wrinkles and folds that would definitely remain after he straightened it out again. Next to him, Rikuo just kept grinning like the absolute bastard he was, and Itaku tried to force his eyes away but couldn't.

He knew what he _should_ do. He _should_ make a face at the exceptionally terrible line, reprimand his student ("just because I said they're impractical in battle, that doesn't mean they're automatically practical outside of it"), and continue waiting. Oh yes, that was definitely what he should do in this situation. Yet, somehow, his eyes remained attached to Rikuo's, whose expression was slowly falling. He knew he should just ignore it all, and let things remain the way they were - unstated and unneeded.

Somehow, in spite of that, the most prominent part of his subconscious said ' _fuck that_ ', and almost before he knew what he was doing, Itaku had leaned forward, dropping his bandana in favor of grasping the neckline of Rikuo's yukata, and crushed their lips together.

It wasn't exactly pretty, or romantic. Their noses knocked together, teeth bumped, and Itaku was pretty sure he almost bit one of their lips at first. For the first few seconds, the young Head was frozen, and Itaku was beginning to wonder if it was too late to leave and hide in the woods for the next hundred years when Rikuo finally moved, leaning into the kiss and twining fingers in the Kamaitachi's hair to pull him closer. His other hand fell to Itaku's leg, and the older of the two took the opportunity to move his hands from Rikuo's chest to his head, finally allowing himself to tangle his fingers in the wild mess that was his student's hair (especially in this new Offensive form) and deepen the kiss.

Rikuo, for his part, was half stunned and half ecstatic - inside his mind, of course. Unlike Itaku, he'd quickly accepted his feelings for the other and decided that, while he didn't mind if nothing came of them, he certainly wouldn't argue against anything that did. He just hadn't expected the Tōno yōkai to make the first move like this, though it certainly caught his attention.

After a time, the need for a proper breath caused them to pull apart, still leaning towards each other and meeting eyes with similarly stunned expressions. Before anything could be said, Rikuo broke into a wide grin. "If I'd known how much you'd like that line, I think I'd have used it a bit earlier."

"Tch." Determinedly ignoring the warmth rapidly flowing across his cheeks, Itaku tried to scowl but couldn't quite keep his lips from quirking up at the edges. "It was the worst yet. I would have hit you."

A laugh was his first response. "Are you sure we wouldn't have liked that?" Not giving the Kamaitachi time to respond, Rikuo leaned in again and pressed their lips together once more. 

Standing beside the doorway, Kejōrō watched in amusement with one hand on her hip and a small tray with water and rice balanced in the other. "Well, Kubinashi owes me a hundred yen now, or a _really_ good back massage. Pity the famous Tōno tsundere could get his act together before my dear headless friend." She laughed quietly to herself, placing the tray down just inside the doorway where the two would see it (once they were done apparently exploring each other's mouths) and walking back down the hall. "I suppose I'll just have to up the ante a bit."

**\-------------------**

"You know, the humans have a word for it." Itaku glanced up at Rikuo, who was relaxing in the hot spring with a thoughtful expression. "What you are - they've got a lot of different words for different sorts of attraction, actually, if you know where to look."

"Is that so?"

He nodded. "Yeah. They'd call you a demisexual - that is, you don't experience sexual attraction without having a strong bond with someone." Shrugging, he added, "I'm what they'd call bisexual - boy or girl, it doesn't matter to me. I suppose that sort of comes with being part yōkai, though, since sometimes you really can't tell."

"And of course there's Awashima."

Rikuo laughed. "Yes, that's true. If it ever happens, whoever ends up with them is sure to be in for an interesting ride."

Pausing, Itaku raised an eyebrow at his-- what were they now? It didn't matter. "'They'?"

"It's a gender-neutral term." The Nura Head explained, waving one hand lazily and resting his head on the other. "Since I don't really know if Awashima prefers either, when I'm not actually talking to them I figured I could use it to be respectful."

Itaku thought the idea had some merit, and thus didn't debate it, instead bringing the conversation back to Rikuo's earlier point. "So, demisexual?"

"Yep."

"I see." Thinking for a few moments, Itaku made a face. "I don't-- that is not a direction I see us taking in the near future, Rikuo."

The young Head laughed again, turning to his companion with a wide grin. "Oh, of course not! I'd want to wait a few years for that, at least, or else I won't even be able to look at you outside of this form! Besides, this is pretty new for both of us, so it's not like there's any need to hurry." The grin turned slightly wry. "As long as we can stop Seimei from destroying the world, we'll have as much time as we need to figure out where we want to go from here."

Itaku allowed himself a small smile. "I suppose so."

"You suppose?" Rikuo grinned, leaning in for a kiss before the other could come up with a sarcastic retort. Itaku rolled his eyes but didn't pull away, instead reaching over to rest one hand on his companion's shoulder.

Somewhere nearby, they could hear Awashima furiously whispering, " _Hah_! Amezō, you owe me one week of chores! I _told_ you Rikuo'd be the one to kiss him first!"

"Tch." Separating briefly, Itaku grinned at Rikuo and called out to the seemingly empty night air, "Amezō, don't listen to them."

"He's right." Catching on, Rikuo returned the grin and added to the call. "Itaku _definitely_ took action first, pity you weren't there! He's really not bad, no matter what he sa--urk!" Tangling one hand firmly in the Nura Head's hair, Itaku pulled him back in for another kiss before he could continue saying anything potentially incriminating and/or embarrassing. Not to say that this wasn't, but this happened to be an embarrassment that Itaku was more than happy to endure.

In the background, much to their delight, the sound of Awashima screaming in frustration could be heard. 

" _Damn it, Itaku!_ "

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry.
> 
> That said, wow, this took a while. I hope it's not absolutely terrible, haha. These two are a bit difficult to write in-character for me, honestly, because Itaku at least is not very emotionally open and I, as an emotional person, am not great at knowing how to write that. (Also I got lazy with the fifth month, sorry!!)
> 
> Super inspired by It Just Happened by Hydra no Mago on ff. net. I hope it doesn't come across as too similar - I was mostly inspired for the kiss near the end. 
> 
> Please leave feedback and a kudos if you like it! :)


End file.
